TNAG-0538-FCO40-633-Strength-of-garrison-in-Hong-Kong-1975 — Page 168

CONFIDENTIAL

3RD DRAFT

within the Ministry of Defence for co-ordinating and rationalising

medical and dental matters. Principal amongst these was the

suggestion that the Defence Medical Services Co-ordinating

Committee should assume a new importance and that the Chief of

Personnel and Logistics should be appointed as its Chairman.

proposal has been accepted and during the last 18 months the

Committee has been over-seeing work on all aspects of the Report's

recommendations.

years.

This

35. Some of the Report's many recommendations have been accepted

and implemented without delay but others are essentially long-term

and, even if accepted in principle, cannot be implemented for some

Further recommendations are more in the nature of general

guidance than specific proposals. In the Report, the recommendations

were grouped under broad headings, such as those relating to doctors,

dentists, nurses, hospitals and training establishments. They are

being studied under these headings within the Ministry of Defence

and reports on each group of recommendations some interim, some

final have been received by the Defence Medical Services

Co-ordinating Committee.

Two-thirds of the recommendations have

now been accepted; in a few cases the acceptance has had to be

qualified. A small number of recommendations have not been accepted;

and work is still proceeding on the remainder.

36. It is agreed that there should be substantial reduction in the

total number of beds provided in Service hospitals over the next

the final figure in relation to the Defence Review has

ten years;

yet to be established

but we expect the present number to be

V-13

CONFIDENTIAL